Mute for stringed instruments



Jan. 13, 1970 5, WE|$5 3,489,051

MUTE FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS Filed March 18, 1968 United States Patent 3,489,051 MUTE FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS Sidney A. Weiss, 2300 N. Commonwealth Ave., Apt. 3A, Chicago, Ill. 60614 Filed Mar. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 713,630 Int. Cl. Gd 3/04 US. Cl. 84-311 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A mute for violin-type instruments is provided with resilient retainer means carried by the mute and looped under two adjacent strings, so that the mute is resiliently held against the two strings between the bridge and string holder in a stored-away position ready for easy movement to the bridge-mounting or muting position. The legs of the mutes bridge-gripping means are of different length to provide a feel-type guide in moving to muting position. The resilient retainer is an elongated cord assembled through elongated channels formed in the mute which itself is preferably made of ebony for desirable quality of sound, or of plastic for inexpensiveness of construction.

Background of the invention This invention relates to a mute for a violin-type instrument and more particularly to one that is held on the instrument in a position readily accessible for use as required.

For many years the traditional mute consisted of a wooden or metal body having multiple pairs of bifurcated legs that frictionally engaged the upper edge of the violins bridge. However, manipulation of such prior mutes posed the problem to the musician of where to store the mute when not needed so as to have quick access to the mute when needed. A partial solution to said problem has been provided by the mute sold under the name Heifetz and consisting of a block-like body, one end of which is bifurcated to provide two rubber-coated legs constructed so that the mute may be either forced onto the bridges crest in a muting position between a pair of adjacent strings, or onto a portion of the string itself, in the region between the bridge and string holder, in a stored-away position. The latter mute while enjoying great and deserved popularity among both professional and amateur musicians does not yield the same quality of sound that can desirably be achieved with use of an ebony or wooden mute, and it may still be inadvertently dropped by the musician during transport between positions.

Thus, one object of this invention is to provide for violin-type instruments an improved mute that is capable of achieving the best quality of sound by use of traditional wooden construction or its equivalent and which is arranged to be moved between muting position and a storedaway position an the instrument without chance of inadvertent misplacement.

Another object of this invention is to provide for violintype instruments a mute that is equipped with a feel-type guide thereon for assisting in effecting and insuring correct mounting of the mute on the instruments' bridge.

A further object of this invention is to provide for violin-type instruments a mute that is characterized by reliability and effectiveness of operation and by simplicity and inexpensiveness of construction.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing.

Brief description of the drawings FIG. 1 illustrates a violin having thereon in its storedaway position a mute embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view showing in full lines the mute of this invention in muting position and showing in broken lines the mute in stored-away position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken substantially on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on line 4-4 of FIG. 3 and also showing the alternate, or stored-away, position for the mute;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the mute of this invention showing the form of device illustrated in FIGS. 1-4; and

FIG. 6-8 illustrate a second or modified form of mute embodying features of the invention, with FIG. 6 being an elevational view of the modified form, and FIG. 7 being a cross-sectional view taken substantially on line 7--7 of FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 being a top plan view of the device of FIG. 6.

Description of the preferred embodiments Referring now to the drawings, there is shown as typical environment a violin-type instrument generally indicated at 10 having four strings 12 which extend under tension forwardly from a string holder 14 to be trained over a bridge 16 and to overlie a finger board 17. More specifically, the two center strings are designated 12a and the two outer strings are designated 12b. The bridge 16 divides the strings into two segments, the sound producing, or forward, portions of which extend forwardly from the bridge 16 to overlie the finger board 17 and the nonsounding, or rearward, portions being designated 13a and being located between the bridge 16 and the string holder 14.

A mute embodying the features of this invention is generally indicated at 20 and includes an elongated body 22 formed on opposite sides with depressed portions 23, as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 5. Such depressed portions 23 provide improved and convenient means for grasping the mute between the fingers. At the ends of the elongated body 22 there are defined two depending gripping means generally indicated at 24, each of which includes a relatively short front leg 26 and a relatively longer rear leg 28. Each gripping means 24 is an extension of the body 22 that has been bifurcated to shape and space legs 26 and 28 so that they engage opposite faces of the bridge 16 when the mute is frictionally fitted onto the crest of the bridge, as is best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The length of elongated body member 22 lies transversely of the strings and is such that it overlies a plurality of the strings 12. More specifically, body member 22 is of a length to overlie the center two strings 12a. The transverse width of the legs of each gripping means 24 is such that when the mute 20 is properly positioned on the bridge 16 or is in a stored-away position as shown in broken lines in FIGS. 2 and 4, each gripping means 24 is located between and spaced from a pair of adjacent strings 12a and 12b.

An elastic retainer cord 30 is carried by the mute 20. In the form of device shown in FIGS. 2-5, the mute 20 is provided with an elongated recess 34 in the upper edge thereof, and aperture means, in the form of upright bores or channels 32, which communicate at one end with said elongated recess 34. The cord 30 has intermediate sections 30a which extend through the upright bores or channels 32, a bight or loop portion 3012 which extends below the lower edge of the body 22, and end portions which lie in recess 34 and are tied at a knot 300.

The elastic cord 30 thus provides a section 30b which is arranged to extend downwardly of the mute body 22 and is arranged to be trained under and transversely of the sections 13a of the two center strings 12a. The resiliency of the elastic cord 30 is selected to be such as to bias or draw the mute firmly downwardly so that the straight under edge 22a of the body 22 engages and is supported by the upper edges of two string sections 13a when the mute is in its stored-away position shown in broken lines in FIGS. 2 and 4. Thus, the mute is maintained in storedaway position, but immediately ready for use, in the region between the string holder 14 and the bridge 16.

When use of the mute is required, the musician merely grasps body 22 and slides the mute forwardly along the string sections 13a while lifting slightly against the resilience of the cord until the relatively short front legs 26 clear the upper edge of the bridge 16. Engagement of rear legs 28 with the rearwardly facing side of bridge 16 informs and guides the musician, by feel, so that the musician feels when the mute is properly positioned above the bridge, whereupon the mute may be moved downwardly onto the bridges upper edge as seen in full lines in FIGS. 2 and 4. It will be seen that in the full line position, the loop portion 30b of the cord has been stretched rearwardly from its normal position which is in a plane between the legs 26 and 28.

In the preferred form, the mute is made of ebony or equivalent wood. It has been found that a mute constructed as disclosed above yields an improved muted tone while being readily available for use without fumbling and without possibility of dropping same. When in the stored-away position it sits neatly and firmly in upright position on string portions 13a.

In the second form of mute device shown in FIGS. 6-8, portions of the mute corresponding with those previously described are given similar number with a prime mark. FIGS. 68 illustrate a mute that permits of being molded from plastic material. The mute is indicated at 20 and comprises an elongated body portion 22' and two gripping means 24' each consisting of a short front leg 26' and long rear leg 28.

The mute 20' is provided with elongated upright aperture means in the form of downwardly and inwardly inclined upright channels of tapering cross-section and each consisting of an outer groove 40a opening through a side of the mute and an inner portion 4% that lies centrally between the side walls and legs of the mute and is overlain by a flange 42. The outer groove 40a is of a width to permit lateral mopement therethrough of the strand of an elastic cord 44. The elastic cord 44 has cord sections 44a that may move through groove 40a and enter into channel portions 4% behind the flange 42, a bight or loop portion 44b arranged to be trained in the plane between legs 26 and 28' beneath two strings 12a, as best seen in FIG. 6, and end knots 44c at the terminal ends of the cord. It will be readily evident that one free end of the cord 44 may be knotted and fitted into one channel, and then the other free end of the cord is trained below the two strings 12a and is entered into the other channel 40 where it may then be provided with an end knot 440 for lodging the cord in the said other channel. The knots are of a size so as to enter the upper ends but not pass through the lower constricted ends of the tapering channels 40. The construction shown thus is quite simple and inexpensive.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A mute for a violin-type instrument having a plurality of spaced springs tensed against a string holder and trained over a bridge spaced from the string holder, said mute comprising, in combination;

an elongated body member having spaced longitudinal sides and adapted to extend transversely of the spaced strings and carrying thereon gripping means adapted for releasably engaging the bridge,

and resilient retainer means separate from and carried by said body member and positioned between the planes of the body members longitudinal sides and adapted to engage portions of a plurality of strings, said resilient retainer means affording selective movement of the body member and gripping means between a muting position, where the body member is spaced from the strings and the gripping means engages the bridge, and a stored-away position, where the body member engages and is supported on a plurality of strings at a point spaced between the bridge and the string holder.

2. A mute as in claim 1 wherein the gripping means includes spaced legs arranged in pairs spaced longitudinally of said elongated body, the retainer means including an elongated resilient cord, and aperture means in said elongated body cooperating with portions of said cord to locate the cord in the plane of the elongated body with a loop portion of the cord located outwardly of the elongated body and between the spaced pairs of legs.

3. A mute as in claim 2 wherein the body and gripping means are formed integrally and the aperture means include elongated upright channels through which portions of the length of the resilient cord may be threaded.

4. A mute as in claim 1 wherein the gripping means includes spaced legs arranged in pairs spaced longitudinally of said elongated body, the lower edge of the elongated body between the pairs of legs being of a length and arranged to engage the upper edge of the adjacent strings, and the resilient retainer means being located between said spaced pairs of legs.

5. A mute as in claim 1 wherein the gripping means includes a pair of spaced legs extending from the elongated body and adapted to engage the bridge with said legs located on opposite sides of the bridge, and one leg of the gripping means, that is adapted to be located to the side of the bridge facing the string holder being longer than the other leg to provide a fell-type guide in moving the mute from its stored-away position to its muting position.

6. A mute as in claim 1 wherein the retainer means includes an elongated resilient cord that is adapted to pass transversely under two adjacent strings to bias the body member toward said strings, said cord being stretchable an amount sufiicient to permit movement of the body member and gripping means away from the strings to afford mounting of the mute on the bridge.

7. A mute as in claim 1 wherein the elongated body member is provided with recesses in the longitudinal sides thereof to provide for ease in grasping the mute to manipulate same.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,388,550 11/1945 Kingmen 84-3l1 2,495,343 1/1950 Ohab 843 11 516,093 3/1894 Hoeft 84311 1,570,601 1/1926 Grover 84311 2,765,692 10/1956 Goldberger 84-311 I FOREIGN PATENTS 85,506 2/ 1921 Austria. 427,661 8/1911 France.

ROBERT S. WARD, 111., Primary Examiner LAWRENCE R. FRANKLIN, Assistant Examiner 

